Thunderstorm Thoughts

Philippians 4:8-9, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
Have you ever noticed that we all try to talk above the noise of a storm? We seem to think if we shout we will be heard over the thunder wind and rain. Maybe the storm is not outside but it is in our head. It happens when we are involved with a tragedy—loss of a loved one or someone close to us, or when it looks like the whole world is about to cave in on us. Our minds become the tempest of “what if” questions. We focus on all the possible bad outcomes. Our fear, worry and trust in God fluctuate as we wait, we pray, we grieve, and we wonder what the Lord will do.
This is all natural and we should be fearful in a storm whether that storm is in our back yard or in our head. In Matthew 8:23-27 we find a story about Jesus and His disciples taking a boat trip when a storm rose and they were tossed on the waves. Picture this, the disciples had Jesus right there in the boat with them yet they were afraid of the storm. The boat was rocking the waves were splashing over the sides yet Jesus was asleep resting. They woke Him and cried do you not care we parish? Jesus used this to show God’s power as He smiled and spoke to the waves to be still. He also showed them just how powerful God is and how much He does care for them.
We all wish Jesus will calm the storms in our lives as He did that night on the boat. But remember He let the storm rage for a time to get the attention of the disciples before He calmed the storm and He does the same for us. When we are anchored in the Lord we can always find peace. We can rest assured Jesus is right there in the boat with us and He will not let it sink or lose us in the storm. He really cares for us and loves us. Do we love Him as much as He loves us? Are we truly anchored in Jesus? Remember Jesus said , “I will never leave you nor forsake you”.
To realize the strength of the anchor we need to feel the stress of the storm.